


Scars/Tattoos

by FireFaceOutlook



Series: SaboAce Week, 2017 [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: And more angsty?, But better written, College AU, Continuing from Day 2 of SaboAce Week, M/M, more fluff!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-09 22:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10423263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: "Life was going pretty good, considering the hassle it took for Ace to pass High School in the final stretch.  But in Ace's experience, when things began going too well, something bad was bound to happen."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RyuichiSakuma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuichiSakuma/gifts).



> **A/N: A sort of continuation of the Idiot/Genius chapter with Ace and Sabo in college. I decided this prompt day could work for that, so here you go. I hope you enjoy. It's meant to be short but sweet!**

College wasn't as terrible as Ace had assumed it would be. Don't get him wrong, he despised going to the classes when he knew he'd be taking them for two years just to get the most minor degree, but with Sabo in almost all his classes, he could survive, and he even managed to get passing grades, and not just above the passing mark, either. And, of course, with college came college fees and the need to get a job. Sabo was more than happy to dwell within the Grandline College's library with his new friend, Koala, but Ace wasn't about to waste his free time in that Hellhole. So he went three blocks away every day after classes let out to one of the many tattoo parlors his second family worked together to run. This particular one happened to be run by Marco, Thatch, and Izou. Edward Newgate, Ace's father figure, even came down to help once in a while, though he left the more delicate designs to his sons. Ace was quick to learn how to permanently ink someone's skin and even got a tattoo on his back, a large one, dedicated to Newgate to show how much his love and the job meant to him. Marco approved and did it himself; he had a similar one across his chest that he bared proudly whether he was working or just out in public. Life was going pretty good, considering the hassle it took for Ace to pass High School in the final stretch. But in Ace's experience, when things began going too well, something bad was bound to happen.

  


He just didn't expect it to happen to Sabo.

  


It was a breezy, autumn Friday, and Halloween was just around the corner. Ace worked late on Fridays and Saturdays and had Sundays off completely so he could spend time with Sabo and, sometimes, catching up on homework he procrastinated on. He got back to their dorm room, which he shared with Sabo and an older student by the name of Trafalgar Law, and was surprised to find it completely dark. Now, it wasn't unusual for Sabo to go to bed early when Ace worked late, but Law had a nasty habit of staying up past normal hours, or even all night. But Ace figured that maybe Law got the guts to ask Eustass Kidd or the campus guard, Smoker, out finally and just shut the door behind him, clicking on the light and holding his breath as he hoped Sabo wouldn't wake. He was startled to discover it was Law sprawled across his bed, not Sabo, and the blond was nowhere to be seen.

“Ace-ya?”

The freckled man just about escaped from his skin when Law suddenly sat up, wide awake as if he hadn't just been snoozing. Law rubbed his eyes and Ace winced when he saw that the bags under his eyes were much more pronounced. Then he realized that it was not because Law had lost more sleep than normal, but because he was much paler than usual.

“Law, are you alright?” Ace asked, stepping forward quickly as the med student slid out of bed and stumbled.

“I'm fine,” Law replied stubbornly, pushing away Ace's hands. “We have to go.”

“Go where?”

Law cast an irritated glance towards him that shut him up as the dark haired male snagged his keys off of the desk the three roommates shared.

“What's going on?” Ace dared to ask as he followed Law out of the dorm building and through the parking lot towards his car.

“Did you not have your phone on you?”

Ace frowned as he climbed into the passenger seat and Law got in on the driver's side.

“I shut it off to preserve the battery.”

Law still seemed vexed, but a little less so as he started his car and pulled out of the parking lot. He didn't speak as Ace turned his phone on.

“Holy shit...” the tattoo artist mumbled, seeing at least twenty calls from Law, a couple from Kidd and Bonney, and even a few from Luffy. He was worried now; Luffy wouldn't call unless it was important. “Law, what happened?”

“There was a fire in the commons area,” Law finally revealed, jaw clenched tightly. “The whole building was burned down.

“No way,” Ace breathed. “Was anyone hurt?”

There was more silence from Law, and dread filled Ace, chasing the air from his lungs.

“Law, was...was Sabo...?”

“...yes.”

Ace sat back in his seat, his limbs feeling heavy and unresponsive as his mind and heart raced. Sabo was hurt. He was hurt badly enough that Law was visibly showing signs of worry, and even Luffy had tried to contact Ace. It didn't take much longer for them to reach the hospital of the esteemed Dr. Kureha, who was raising the youngest person in the college, Chopper, who also happened to work under her. Ace and Law got out of the car and went inside.

“Oh, Law, you've returned,” the green-haired women with large glasses noted boredly at the front desk. “This must be Ace?”

“Enough, Monet,” Law snapped. “Is Sabo-ya still allowed to receive visitors?”

“Yeah,” Monet sighed, snapping bubble gum in her mouth. “In fact, he woke up not long ago, but he might not still be up now.”

Law thanked her through gritted teeth – they obviously had some kind of history – and without asking which room Sabo was in, Law began leading the way down one of the halls. They slowed before reaching a partially open door, and Ace could hear Chopper's soft voice.

“Do you want any more water, Sabo?”

“N-no thanks, Chopper,” the raspy voice of Ace's boyfriend replied, and Ace's heart clenched as Law stepped into the room first, Ace following closely behind. 

There were a lot of vases of flowers on every available surface, and a teetering stack of cards in one of the far corners of the room. Sabo was laying in one of two beds, his being the only occupied one, and he was hooked up to all kinds of machines. But that's not what made Ace's breath catch. The whole upper left side of his head was swathed with bandages, as well as most of what was visible of his body. Sabo glanced over at the door and his visible eye widened and a smile spread across his face.

“Ace!”

Law stepped out of the way as Ace stumbled forward, stepping hastily around the flowers, and leaned down once he reached Sabo's bedside. Sabo reached up with his free arm and pulled Ace into a hug, which Ace returned tightly.

“Be careful!” Chopper squawked, tugging sharply on Ace's shirt. “He's on a lot of painkillers, but he's still injured!”

Ace pulled away reluctantly, muttering, “Sorry, Chopper.”

Sabo was severely injured, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered as Ace pressed a kiss to his forehead.

  


It took a month for Sabo to leave the hospital, and even then it was only because Kureha was personally seeing to him. Ace was more than glad to escort Sabo back to their dorm room, though he was a little worried about the fact that Sabo no longer had sight in his left eye and kept stumbling.

“I'll be fine,” Sabo assured him with a smile. “I just need to get used to this change in perception.”

And for a while, it did seem like Sabo was doing well. He caught up with the homework he missed, which Koala helped him with, and he continued to get high grades as time passed. He still laughed at all Ace's stupid jokes and helped Ace tease Law about being attracted to both the strong-and-silent types and the strong-and-lippy types. Ever since the accident, Ace kept his phone charging and turned up in case something like that ever happened again. So when he got a call on a Saturday in the middle of the afternoon, and he saw it was Law who was calling, he expected the worst.

“You need to get back here right now,” Law ordered and, without letting Ace know what was going on – like always – hung up.

“Marco,” Ace called to the back. “I'm gonna have to take a rain-check on that dinner with Oyaji tonight.”

“Sure,” Marco replied, voice muffled through the door. “See you later. Tell Sabo I said 'hello'.”

And with that, Ace was free to return to the dorm. He wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't Law, crouched by Sabo's bed, where a blanketed figure trembled. 

“He just had a panic attack,” Law explained in a soft voice, as if not to startle Sabo more. “You two need to talk.”

Law left to give the two space, and Ace managed to coax Sabo out from his cocoon. It took a bit of time to get Sabo to talk about what was bothering him, but when he did, it was through a new storm of tears. He was having nightmares about the fire constantly, and the scars on his torso were sensitive and got irritated easily no matter what he wore while the scars on his arm, leg, and face were so numb that it felt like those pieces of him were missing. And worse off all were the night terrors he had about Ace and everyone he cared about leaving because he was different now. Ace held him as he sobbed and wheezed and tried to gather himself back together. Ace was shaken; he hadn't realized that Sabo was so effected by this. That night, he held Sabo close, and in the morning, he convinced the blond to skip their classes for the day. Sabo admitted that talking had helped a lot and he thanked Ace with a soft kiss. It was more than enough for Ace.

For the next few weeks, Ace wracked his brain for a way to show Sabo he cared immensely about him. Flowers and chocolates and other lovey-dovey, normal couple things were tossed out the window immediately. He wanted this to be something permanent or at the very least long-lasting. It was on the day before his twentieth birthday that he finally figured it out.

“Are you sure?” Marco asked, raising a brow.

Ace nodded firmly, grinning. “Of course. I'm absolutely certain. No doubts about it.”

Marco smirked slightly and shook his head with a sigh. “Alright. This saves me from having to come up with a birthday gift for you.”

Ace's birthday landed on a Friday, and while that usually meant he had to work late, Marco had given him permission to leave at three in the afternoon instead.

“I'll see you then,” Sabo said from the bed, reading a book Koala had bought for him during his stay in the library. It was a unique book with words in writing on one page and the same words in braille on the opposing page. He had wanted to learn braille before, so why not use being half-blind as an excuse to?

  


When Ace got back to the dorm that evening, he had bags of take-out. He was surprised, but pleased, to find that Law was gone upon his return.

“Smoker asked him out to a movie,” Sabo announced when Ace asked about their roommate's absence. “Also, Kidd is dating some foreign exchange student. He calls him Killer; I don't know his real name.”

Ace nodded and crawled onto the bed with Sabo and they curled up together, eating Chinese food and watching a movie on Sabo's laptop. When Sabo leaned against Ace to snag a shrimp from his meal, Ace hissed softly, causing Sabo to jump.

“Are you hurt?” Sabo asked worriedly, hands hovering over Ace's left arm.

“Ah, no. I just got a new tattoo.”

“Oh!” Sabo's eyes were practically glowing; he loved seeing Marco's handiwork, and Ace could hardly blame him. Marco was a talented artist, and his tattoos were the best in the world. “Let me see.”

Ace smiled and let Sabo help unwrap his arm. Sabo froze upon seeing it, jaw dropping open a little bit, but Ace knew him well enough to know he was far from upset.

“Well... Originally, I wanted to give you a tattoo. You know, to cover up the scars or something...” Ace scratched the back of his head with his right hand. “But since some of your scars are sensitive, and a face tattoo might not be the best for future jobs, I thought this would be good.”

Sabo's fingers lifted to the tattoo, but hovered over the skin. He knew better than to touch it the same day it was done. The tattoo was Ace's name, but with an 's' that shouldn't have belonged, but somehow did, leaving it as: **A S C E**.

“Now,” Ace added, smiling, “I'll always have a little piece of you with me. You're that important to me, you know.”

And Ace was more than ready to receive the tight hug from Sabo. He returned it with just as much strength, pressing a kiss to the top of Sabo's head.

“I love you, Sabo.”

Ace reached down with one hand and dug around in his pocket as Sabo pulled away. He pulled something out and held out his hand, letting his fingers open to reveal what was in his palm.

“I know that I'm supposed to do this in a more romantic setting than our college dorm, but will you marry me?”

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: Bam! How'd you like that ending! And of course, Sabo said yes, with a whole lot of tears and whining about how it was so unfair of Ace to do so much for him without getting anything in return. But Ace, being the cool dude he is, just said that getting Sabo's love in return was enough for him. So! I hope everyone enjoys it!!**


End file.
